House Democrats are pushing forward with a coronavirus relief package that would keep the existing income restrictions for the new round of stimulus checks while narrowing eligibility for Americans with a higher income.
Under the newly introduced draft legislation, Americans who earn less than $75,000 would receive the full $1,400 payment, despite calls from some moderate Democrats and Republicans to lower the threshold. However, checks would phase out more quickly than previous payments with the cutoff being $100,000 for individuals and $200,000 for couples.
Stimulus check eligibility emerged as a major point of contention between different ideological factions of the Democratic Party. The party can’t afford to lose the support of even a single Senate Democrat, as it needs all 50 members to pass the measure using a procedural tool known as budget reconciliation.
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., has repeatedly argued the payments need to be better targeted and reportedly called for the checks to begin phasing out for individuals earning more than $50,000.
“I don’t think a single person on this floor wou
ld disagree to target the relief to our neighbors who are struggling,” Manchin said on the Senate floor last week. “There are other families who have not missed a single paycheck as a result of this pandemic. It does not make sense to send a check to those individuals.”
Still, he indicated on Monday that he was open to House Democrats’ plan, saying that he and other centrists are trying to ensure the payments go to those “truly in need.”
“So if they can show that $75,000 and $150,000 is truly in need,” Manchin said.
President Biden suggested last week that he was willing to limit which Americans receive the third stimulus check in hopes of securing bipartisan support for the measure.
“Further targeting means not the size of the check, it means the income level of people who receive the check,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters last week. “That’s something that is under discussion.”
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Sunday that Americans earning $60,000 per year should receive the full promised payment.
“The exact details of how it should be targeted are to be determined, but struggling middle-class families need help,” Yellen said during an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
The House Ways and Means Committee will debate its part of the massive reconciliation bill this week. Lawmakers aim to pass the stimulus checks no later than March 14.
